1. Field of the Invention
Unlike the basic designs of the instantly recognizable and nearly historically standard garlic press or potato peeler there is no small, lightweight, universally used and universally adopted equivalent in a portable oyster-opener that consumers purchase and use for passing around a table, to share together at dinner parties, to use in home kitchens or that they can easily carry with them for the quick and simple opening of oysters on beaches, on boats, while swimming and diving, while oyster harvesting and at outdoor picnics and tailgate parties. The present invention relates to using a lightweight, handheld, ratchet-driven caulk-gun style device that is substantially modified to create a novel device for the safe, simple and rapid opening of oysters by virtually anyone, anywhere they are. This device includes a hand-advanced and automatically-retractable push rod with a knife blade at one of its ends and a key for turning it in a 360 mode at it's other end, working in conjunction with an oyster supporting back-stop, which itself is fixed or movable towards or away from the body of the device, and which allows a user of the device to quickly insert, lock firmly into place and then open an oyster, and then to quickly unlock and remove an opened oyster while the knife blade has been automatically returned, by the action of a re-setting spring, to its retracted and default starting position. This dynamic system allows the user to apply quick but carefully controlled, incremental and cumulatively added amounts of leveraging force to an oyster opening knife-blade in the graduated ways that the user decides is best suited to the task of forcing open the two opposing shell halves that are connected by cartilage at the point on an oyster, which is often referred to as the oysters beak. The term beak refers to the narrow, pointed end of an oyster where its two opposing half-shells are held together with a bonding cartilage. This devices push rod is coupled with a separate quick release mechanism and a has a spring-loaded and automatic blade-return function that rapidly retracts the knife-blade after an oyster has been opened. Those features work in conjunction with an oyster securing back-stop which can be moved towards or away from the body of the device and which can be locked quickly along any portion of a bar, a bed or a set of rails that are connected to the body of the device, which is designed to aid the user in rapidly inserting, rapidly positioning and rapidly securing an oyster within the device, and that helps hold the oyster firmly in place as it is being opened, that helps hold the oyster firmly in place as it's two adductor muscles are cut, that helps hold the oyster firmly in place as its top-shell is removed and that can be rapidly disengaged from its bar, bed or rails which allows an opened oyster to be quickly removed from the device for serving. This system allows almost any user to open oysters in a speedy and controlled manner that is extremely safe, simple to perform and very efficient. A person who has never before opened an oyster will find using this device both easy to learn to operate, and easy to actually operate. Even a person of moderate strength will be able, in most cases, to quickly and very easily insert, secure, open and remove an oyster in an extremely fast and safe mode. Users will also find they can open an oyster while easily tilting this lightweight device to keep the oyster being opened at a perfect mode of levelness which prevents the messy spillage and inadvertent loss of precious oyster liquor that is common with nearly every oyster opening device. While an opened oyster is still held firmly within this device users can additionally cut the oysters adductor muscle with a secondary handheld knife and then remove the oysters upper shell-half while the bottom half of the oyster shell and the oyster within it remains level and secure within the device which allows the user to cut the oysters bottom adductor muscle without spillage and loss of oyster liquor while the oyster is held level and still secured within the device. Users may use this device without the common oyster-opening concerns of nerve wracking knife moves, hand and wrist strains and accidental self inflicted hand stabbings. This inexpensive oyster opening device is small, robust and very light in weight and can be easily lifted, continuously held without strain, portably carried to any venue, passed from person to person and easily employed for the quick, simple and ultra-safe opening of oysters with minimal physical effort.
2. Description of Related Art
Devices for opening oyster and clam shells is known in the prior art. More specifically, by way of example U.S. Pat. No. 7,393,270 to Cross discloses a base and a reconfigurable handle pivotably connected to the base.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,948 to LiRosi discloses a punch, such as a wedge-shaped blade, fixedly attached to a rack and pinion geared shaft for aligning and axially translating the punch along a second axis for opening a shellfish.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,248 to Holley discloses a heavy base portion having a vertical column with a spreader operated by hand having jaws which, upon depressing a handle are spread apart. A movable anvil is provided with a pivotal lever arm for positioning an oyster relative to the jaws of the spreader.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,500 to Boettner, et al. discloses a base plate having a support channel for receiving and supporting an oyster. A lever arm is pivotally mounted to the base plate and includes an engaging tip secured to the lever arm and positioned for engagement with the oyster in the support channel to crack and open the oyster.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,080 to Webb discloses coupling bars that are attached to a lever and a blade that is attached and driven into a clam or oyster trapped between the lower plate and the blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,263 to Ayala discloses a base having a knife pivotably mounted about a first axis and a hammer pivotably mounted about a second axis on the base. The knife is lifted by extended upward movement of the hammer but the hammer is free to move relative of the knife during downward movement.
For many people the process of opening an oyster is a physically taxing, dexterously difficult, potentially-dangerous and time consuming task.
It is an object of this invention to provide a ‘caulk gun’ style oyster-opener that uses a static or movable oyster holding member connected to a bar, a bed or set of rails and a leveraged and advancable and quickly retractable knife blade to pry open an oyster, and which is not a table vice style or a wood-clamp style oyster opener.
It is an object of this invention to provide a contoured steel oyster holding member with an embossed-surface or semi-flexible surface that aids in the holding and the secured positioning of the oysters shell before during and after it has been opened.
It is an object of this invention to provide both an advancable and retractable and 360 degree rotatable shaft and knife-blade that is advanced forward by a hand squeezed leveraging element and that can be rotated 360 degrees by the users twisting of a T shaped or other conveniently shaped handle at its end.
It is an object of this invention to provide a rotatable shaft that on one end is a fashioned knife-blade with a tapered and curved blade-point that follows the natural opening-path at an oysters beak and which allows the knife blades tip to be turned rotated and variably positioned by the user in an infinite number of angles entry into the oyster that's being opened.
It is an object of this invention to provide an oyster opener with an expandable double ‘scissors-style’ conveyance for advancing and retracting the oyster holding back-stop towards or away from the body of the device and that can fold and unfold and which on one end
is affixed an oyster holding back-stop while the other end is affixed to the main body of the device, which can be expanded or contracted to bring the oyster holding back-stop closer to or further from the main body of the device.
It is an object of this invention to provide a portable, hand held oyster opening device that can be easily carried to picnics, conveniently used at a dining-table and easily passed from person to person.
It is an object of this invention to provide an ultra-safe Oyster Opening Device that is safe and which does not require the use of protective gloves.
It is an object of this invention to provide a viable alternative to the standard styles of oyster opening knives.
It is an object of this invention to provide a simple to operate oyster opening device that almost anyone can operate easily.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Inexpensive oyster opening device.
It is an object of this invention to provide an oyster opening device that utilizes some basic functional leveraging and handling elements which are in common with a standard ratcheted hand-held caulking gun.
It is an object of this invention to provide an oyster opening device that includes a forward-driven, quick-retracting spring-operated oyster opening knife-blade that retracts through the press of a button to reset the Oyster Opening Blade back to its standard starting-position after each oyster has been opened.
It is an object of this invention to provide an entirely handheld oyster opening device that can be self leveled by the user to prevent the spillage of oyster liquor during the process of opening an oyster.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening device that employs a Turnable and Twistable Knife Blade which can be manipulated to facilitate the blades entrance into the beak portion of the oyster and which facilitates the blades removal after the oyster has been opened.
It is an object of this invention to provide an oyster opening device that utilizes a thin-tipped, slightly up-curved blade that can be rotated and flipped by the user, prior to opening an oyster, that allows the user to orient the tip of the knife blade into either one of two distinct blade-positions and an unlimited number of positions in between and that allows the user to adjust the position of the blades-tip in a 360 degree manner to the position the user determines is best suited for gaining entrance and opening a specifically shaped oyster depending on the physical configuration of that particular oyster.
It is an object of this invention to provide an oyster opening device that utilizes a specifically contoured and slightly upwardly curved blade-tip that's designed to facilitate the opening of oysters which have curved beaks or tight and narrow beaks which are normally difficult to open with a straight forward blade that's employed in many mechanical oyster opening devices.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening device that produces few or no chips or bits of fractured oyster shell during the process of opening an oyster.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening device that operates efficiently and with stability without the addition of a heavy cumbersome base.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening Device that is extremely durable and lightweight.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening device that is compact and light enough to be passed from person to person at a table and that can be stored in a ordinary, medium sized kitchen drawer.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening device that can be operated by hand/eye manipulation which allows a flexible method of oyster opening.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening device that includes a novel Oyster Opening Blade-Tip that is specifically ground, curved and contoured for opening the maximum number of physical forms, physical types, physical sizes, physical lengths and physical shapes of various types of oysters.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening device that includes a novel back-stop that is specifically curved and contoured for the most efficient cushioning and holding of the maximum number of physical forms, physical types, physical sizes, physical lengths and physical shapes of various types of oysters that are placed against it.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening device that employs a simple and quick Oyster Lock-Down System which allows a user to insert and lock an oyster rigidly into place, before, during and after the oyster is opened.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening device that allows the user to cut the adductor muscle of the oyster after the device has opened the oysters shell, and allows the removal of the oysters top shell while the oysters bottom shell and the oyster within it is still being securely held within the device.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening device that opens oysters with a force-leveraging blade that's driven forward by a simple, one handed squeezing of a leveraging handle affixed to a caulk-gun like device.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening device predicated on a caulk-gun style design that utilizes a Soft Sling affixed to the frontal body of the handheld caulkgun like leveraging-device device and composed of a durable flexible material such as woven-kevlar or chain-mail which acts to hold an oyster in place as the force leveraged blade is inserted then driven into the oyster and which allows the user to twist the main body of the oyster once its beak has been penetrated by the oyster opening knife-blade, hence fully leveraging the oyster open.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening device predicated on a caulk-gun style design that utilizes a bar, a bed or a set of twin rails which are affixed to the body of the gun and which allow a rapid forward or backward movement of a back-stop which rides upon those rails or the bar.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening device that utilizes two side by side rails, a bed or a single bar that provides secure contact-support for an oysters Bottom-Shell as it's positioned and held within the device and then leveraged-open within the device.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening device predicated on a caulk-gun style design that utilizes a ratchet-driven oyster opening knife-blade in conjunction with a back-stop that is permanently-affixed to one end of a bar, a bed or set of rails.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening device predicated on a caulk-gun style design that utilizes a fixed ratchet-driven oyster opening knife-blade in conjunction with a back-stop that is permanently-affixed to one end of a set of rails or to a bar which themselves can be mechanically attached to the main body of the device in such a manner that they can be slid and moved either forwards or backwards, hence allowing the user to reposition the back-stop at various distances from the main body of the device.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening device predicated on a caulk-gun style design that utilizes a fixed ratchet-driven oyster opening knife-blade in conjunction with a back-stop that can be moved and re-positioned as it travels over a set of guide rails or along the length of a guide bar.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening device predicated on a caulk-gun style design that utilizes a fixed ratchet-driven oyster opening knife-blade in conjunction with a back-stop that is spring-loaded which allows a user to very quickly re-position it as it travels over a bar, a bed or set of rails which are affixed to the body of the device.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening Device that makes use of the human hands unique ability to squeeze together two opposing grips.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening device that operates quickly, simply and easily allowing its user to open many oysters a minute over a continuous period of time.
It is an object of this invention to provide a New Type of Oyster Opening Device that can be produced as a viable working unit that is very compact and that can weigh as little as fifteen ounces or less, depending upon the materials from which it is fashioned.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening Device that features a fast lockdown and release function that quickly locks and unlocks the back-stop to or from a guide bar or to or from a set of twin guide rails and that takes place in under a second and that's facilitated by the light pressing of a button on or near the back-stop by the user
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening Device that features a quickly retractable spring-loaded knife-blade that can automatically reverse it's direction and retract to reset itself to its default opening-position in under a second that rapid retraction facilitated by the light pressing of a button by the user.
It is an object of this invention to provide an Oyster Opening Device that features the rapid releasing of an oyster in under a second, that was previously locked solidly in place within the device, with that rapid releasing of the oyster facilitated via the light pressing by a user of a quick-release release-mechanism that is conveniently situated on the device.
It is an object of the invention to provide an oyster opening device that is very safe to use and which does not require the use of protective gloves.
It is an object of the invention to provide an oyster opening device that is entirely and easily portable.
It is an object of the invention to provide an oyster opening device that allows for a rapid insertion and a quick stable locking in place of an oyster prior to it's actual opening by the devices leveraged knife-blade.
It is an object of the invention to provide an oyster opening device that is light enough and compact enough to be entirely hand-held and further that this oyster opening device is light enough and compact enough to be easily and continuously supported by the user for extended periods of time.
It is an object of this invention to provide an oyster opening device that allows the user to safely adjust the positioning of the oyster while it is in the process of being leveraged open by the device to facilitate the most efficient opening of that oyster.
It is an object of this invention to provide a simple to operate oyster opening device that almost anyone can operate easily regardless of strength or dexterity.
It is an object of this invention to provide an oyster opening device that employs a turnable and twistable knife blade which can be manipulated and turned 360 degrees to facilitate the blades entrance into the beak portion of the oyster, and which can also be manipulated and turned to leverage an oyster open even further once it's been penetrated by the oyster opening knife blade and which also facilitates the knife-blades quick and easy removal after the oyster has been opened.
it is an object of this invention to provide an oyster opening device that allows a user to quickly insert an oyster, quickly lock it in place within the device, quickly open the oyster and quickly remove the oyster from the device and to continue that sequence in a rapid and repetitive manner.
It is an object of this invention to provide an oyster opening device that operates efficiently without a cumbersome base, that is compact, entirely handheld, lightweight and that can be passed from person to person or easily carried to a picnic and that can be stored in a ordinary, medium sized kitchen drawer.
It is an object of this invention to provide an oyster opening device that allows the user to cut the adductor muscle of the oyster and easily free and remove the oysters upper shell after the device has opened the oysters shell and while the oysters bottom half-shell is still being held firmly in place by the oyster opening device.
There are numerous approaches that various people employ to facilitate the opening of oysters. Most involve the use of an oyster knife of which there are numerous traditional and contemporary variants. In actual use oyster opening knives are often inserted into the channel opening at the ‘beak’ of an oyster and then directionally manipulated into the cartilage filled gap between the oysters two opposing half-shells by the user. As the forced knife gains entrance through the cartilage filled channel that links the oyster's shell halves at some critical point, the oyster's two half-shells become partially opened and partially separated at which point the oysters two adductor muscles are cut with the oysters top shell removed then discarded. The complex movements that the user performs with the oyster opening knife include the use of the users eyes, wrists, hands, fingers and arms, all of which allow the user of the oyster knife a modicum of directional control, of applied force control and of general and specific motion control.
The opening of an oyster by an experienced oyster shucker who deftly wields an oyster shucking knife may appear to be a simple act, but shucking an oyster is actually a sophisticatedly progressive, physically-demanding and considerably nuanced process, and it is both perceived as and in practice actually is a ‘potentially dangerous’ process. For those and other reasons inexperienced individuals often find the process of opening an oyster to be difficult, unnerving or even impossible to perform. A result for many people is that the opening of oysters, as a food preparation routine, becomes one that they approach with trepidation, or one that they avoid entirely, or one that they leave to others more skilled to perform for them, and usually at some cost.
Many consumers and lovers of oysters forego their desired ‘at-home’ or ‘at picnics’ oyster consumption experiences because of the various difficulties involved with the opening of them and as a consequence, many fewer oysters are sold by shell fish growers and by the retailing industries than would otherwise be vended if those negative issues associated with the opening of oysters were somehow negated and alleviated. This new oyster opening device fully negates virtually all of the negative oyster opening Issues and can do so at an affordable retail price.
Many mechanical devices could be fashioned that would open an oyster, but few of them are lightweight, very easy to use, speedy in their operation and ultra-safe. Fewer of them allow an oyster to be kept level during it's opening so as not to spill its liquor nor do they incorporate a mechanical system that, like the operation of a simple oyster knife, takes advantage of the sensory hand-eye feedback that a user experiences during the actual process of opening an oyster, in order to carefully modulate and directly control the mechanical process of opening an oyster with such a mechanical system.
A new handheld and very useful oyster opening device that includes a hand-squeezable caulk-gun style force-leveraging drive coupled to a specifically shaped oyster-opening knife-blade that is connected to a quick-release function which allows to automatically retract after an oyster has been opened and that works in an integrated mode with an oyster supporting back-stop which securely locks-down and that holds an oyster in position as it is being leveraged open, to accomplish the goal of creating a new oyster-opening device which will be entirely capable of opening an oyster in a new and improved way.
The advantage of using extant quick-release caulk-gun style-devices as a starting point for creating a new type of oyster opener is that these devices, once sufficiently and non-obviously modified, will allow a user of such modified devices to apply intelligently-controlled, incremental, discreet and cumulatively-added amounts of force to an oyster-opening knife-blade in the ways that are best suited to the knifes intended task of forcing-open the two opposing shell-halves that are connected by cartilage at the point on an oyster which is often referred to as its ‘beak’.
Another advantage in using these modified caulk-gun style-devices is that once they have been sufficiently-modified they will allow almost any user to open oysters in a speedy, well-controlled manner that is extremely safe, simple to perform and very-efficient. A person who has never before opened an oyster will find using this device or its variants, which are described below, simple to learn to operate and simple, in-practice, to actually operate. Even a person of moderate strength will be able, in most cases, to easily open an oyster. Users of the devise will also find they can open oysters without the common oyster-opening concerns of nerve-wracking knife-moves, hand and wrist strains and accidental self-inflicted hand-stabbings.
The oyster opening device and its variants below are small, robust and very light in weight. They can be easily lifted, easily held aloft during their usage for long periods of time without tiring their operators, they can portably carried and easily-employed for quick, safe opening of oysters, all with minimal effort.
Another advantage of using such extant caulk-gun style-devices is that they serve as examples for the relatively quick fashioning and construction of this new type of oyster-opener for someone skilled in the arts, in order that they may gain a better understanding of the basic design principals involved in this new oyster-opening device.
The modified caulk-gun style devices that are described below will serve here mainly as useful illustrations and as illustrative examples of the basic mechanical principals involved in creating the new type of oyster opening device here disclosed. The oyster opening device here disclosed is based on those modified devices abilities to provide their users with a convenient and continuous capability for inserting and securing an oyster to be opened, for hand re-positioning of the oyster to be opened while it is secured within the device and for the careful application of manually controlled, incrementally driven knife-blade leveraging, along with controlled-applications of additive-force and controlled rates of applied forces to the knife blade as well as a fast and automatic resetting of the knife-knife blade after an oyster has been opened and the quick physical releasing from the device of a previously secured oyster once that oyster has been opened by the device, which are all provided by the general configuration and the working-dynamics of this new oyster opening device.